forum: FAQ's

Re: Secrets to bread making?

jamie's recipe is the same as mine but I add fat as oil or lard.in my country the bread should always fat(1/3 or 1/2 cup of oil)knead wellelastic doughnot to let the dough rise too do not let the dough way too dry(really bad)

Re: Secrets to bread making?

Re: Secrets to bread making?

I am going to bake again before the weekend, thanks for all the coments. I have also had some hit and miss experiences. Sussane H Deutsche Brot ist zer gut, unlike my German. Germans laugh about English bread.I dont supose you know where to get good meat in Munich (I have no car).

Re: Secrets to bread making?

One thing the pros do, because of their experience, is work efficiently. You need fresh yeast, really warm water(not hot) , add salt just prior to flour to let the yeast become as active as you can. Add flour gradually, but quickly, the whole mixing proccess should take about 10 minutes. A nice warm kitchen for the dough to rise, and proof. Oil pans well, a well preheated oven. Keep the oven door closed during baking. No peeking.Good luck and pass the butter.

Re: Secrets to bread making?

Hi,

During my study food technology I specialised in bakery technology. Making bread seems complicated, but when knowing a bit more it is quite easy to understand why some things happen to your bread.

So first the ingredients. The main ingredients are:- strong flour (flour with a relatively high protein/ gluten content)- yeast (fresh or dried) in order to produce carbondioxide (gas bubbles)- salt (for flavour and enhancing the development of the gluten)- water (for developing the gluten and the setting of the starch)

Furthermore yo can add:- sugar (small amounts help the yeast to grow rapidly in the beginning)- egg (acts as an emulsifier and delays the dry texture of bread after a few days)- fat (makes the bread texture softer)- milk instead of water (to make 'milk' bread)

Now comes the process of bread making:- Mixing: premix all dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Be careful not to let the yeast get in direct contact with salt or sugar. When using fresh yeast, first dissolve into the liquid. Mix thoroughly into a dough.- Kneading: Knead at least 15 minutes by hand (by machine takes less time). Kneading is important for developing the gluten (when done properly you can stretch the dough into a very thin sheet without breaking) and for the incorporation of air (this is good for the growth of the yeast, but more importantly because you need gas cells in the dough for the carbondioxide produced by yeast to get into; when a dough is made without air cells present the dough will remain flat despite the production of carbondioxide)- Rising: during rising the gluten develops further. But more important is of course the production of carbondioxide (increasing the volume) and the formation of aroma components. Make sure that the humidity of the environment is high and that the area is quite warm.- Beating the dough:This seems a strange production step because you lose much gas, but is actually important. By beating the dough not only much gas is lost, but also the gas cells split into smaller ones. The result is a dough that has much more gas bubbles. - Shaping and rising:Form the dough into the desired shape and let it rise again before baking. During the rising the carbondioxide produced by the yeast gets into the many gas cells making the volume increase.- Baking:In the first stage of baking the dough rises due to the production of carbondioxide by the yeast (until they are dead) and most important: the expanding of the gas cells. Also a crust is formed. To make your bread larger (this means: making the first stage longer) you could add steam directly in the beginning. This is done by throwing a small cup of water onto the bottom of the oven and closing quickly (use demiwater, than there is no calcium in your oven). In the second stage the starch sets and when all starch is set the bread is done. - Cooling- Eating

Re: Secrets to bread making?

* Weigh out the flour and put into a large bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt and mix.

In a jug put in sugar and dissolve in the hot water, then add the remaining water and yeast sachets and whisk. Leave somewhere warm until you have 2cm of froth on top. Whisk again and then pour into flour mix. Mis together adding enough warm water to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes, then leave under a clean cloth for 15 mins to prove. Place into a loaf tin and place in the oven around 180 degrees for 45-50 mins or until it sounds hollow.

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